A number of retailers have said they are not yet anticipating any significant impact on fruit and vegetable availability in the near future as a result of extreme weather events in Europe.

Much of Europe experienced warmer and drier conditions than usual this summer, with large regions affected by drought and even wildfires ripping through land, and the impact has been clear in agriculture and vegetation.

Countries across the world are seeing food price shocks from climate extremes, according to a study - Climate extremes, food price spikes, and their wider societal risks - published this summer by a team of international scientists, including from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the UK's Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, the European Central Bank and more.

The study found that British potatoes, Californian vegetables, South African maize and Indian onions are among many foods affected by recent price shocks driven by weather extremes.

Ireland imports large volumes of fruits and vegetables each year.

A Tesco spokesperson told Agriland that it recognises warmer and drier than average conditions were seen across much of Europe this summer.

"Many of our growers have adopted proactive measures to safeguard water resources which has helped them reduce the risks associated with these conditions," the spokesperson said.

"We are not expecting to see any significant impacts over the coming months."

Musgrave said that at present, it is not expecting any produce availability issues linked to the recent drought or wildfires in Europe.

"We will remain in close contact with our supply partners to monitor the situation and ensure availability for our customers," Musgrave said.

An Aldi spokesperson said it currently has "good availability across all of our stores".

"We work closely with our trusted network of Irish and international suppliers to ensure our shelves are always stocked with the best quality produce at the best prices," the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for Lidl said "like all retailers, we are aware that there can be knock-on effects from adverse weather conditions that can impact harvests".

"At present, Lidl [has] not experienced any significant availability issues with our fruit and veg lines and our teams are continuing to monitor this closely."

Crop monitoring data by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre shows that hot and dry weather across southern and eastern Europe severely affected summer crops such as maize, sunflowers, and soybean.

"Persistent drought conditions in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, southern Ukraine and Turkey caused irreversible yield damage in rainfed agriculture," the report said.

"Heat and rainfall deficit reduced yield expectations also in Hungary and eastern Croatia.

The report noted that in Spain, Portugal, Italy, northern France, the Benelux countries, Germany, and Poland, "adequate rainfall and moderate temperatures – despite some heatwaves – supported summer crop development" with yield expectations around or above the five-year average.

"Grasslands in northern Europe also performed well," the report said.